Formula 1 News: Leclerc tops Verstappen in only Miami GP Practice
Charles Leclerc (pictured) turned a lap of 1m29.310s in his #16 Ferrari Formula 1 rocket to top the extended 90-minute practice for the 2026 Miami GP around the Miami International Autodrome.
–by Mark Cipolloni–
Ferrari brought nine updates to their SF-26 car this weekend, and they appear to be working to perfection so far in the only practice session for the Miami GP.
Red Bull brought seven updates to the RB22 and Max Verstappen turned the 2nd fastest time, 1m29.607s, 0.297s behind Leclerc.
Both the Ferrari and the Red Bull are running a Macarena rear wing.
Last year’s race winner, Oscar Piastri was third fastest in the highly revised McLaren, 0.448s behind Leclerc.
Lewis Hamilton was 4th quick in the #44 Ferrari, 0.467s behind his Ferrari teammate.
Last year’s Miami GP polesitter, Kimi Antonelli rounded out the top-5, 0.769s behind Leclerc, but he sat out the last 10 laps with a car issue. His Mercedes teammate George Russell missed a big part of the session with a turbocharger issue,0.790s behind Leclerc.
Ferrari have come here to play then, with Russell down in sixth after two push laps on his softs, and Antonelli fifth after not running the C5 rubber at all yet.
Sprint Qualifying begins at 4:30pm ET.
2026 Miami GP Practice Results
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Behind | Time | Laps |
| 1 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:29.310 | +0.000 | 1:29.310 | 41 |
| 2 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:29.607 | +0.297 | 1:29.607 | 41 |
| 3 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:29.758 | +0.448 | 1:29.758 | 35 |
| 4 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:29.777 | +0.467 | 1:29.777 | 35 |
| 5 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:30.079 | +0.769 | 1:30.079 | 24 |
| 6 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:30.100 | +0.790 | 1:30.100 | 34 |
| 7 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:30.208 | +0.898 | 1:30.208 | 35 |
| 8 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:30.587 | +1.277 | 1:30.587 | 34 |
| 9 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing | 1:30.873 | +1.563 | 1:30.873 | 40 |
| 10 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:30.930 | +1.620 | 1:30.930 | 37 |
| 11 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:31.015 | +1.705 | 1:31.015 | 33 |
| 12 | 23 | Alex Albon | Williams | 1:31.024 | +1.714 | 1:31.024 | 39 |
| 13 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas F1 Team | 1:31.091 | +1.781 | 1:31.091 | 35 |
| 14 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:31.111 | +1.801 | 1:31.111 | 28 |
| 15 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | 1:31.595 | +2.285 | 1:31.595 | 33 |
| 16 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas F1 Team | 1:31.635 | +2.325 | 1:31.635 | 36 |
| 17 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:31.648 | +2.338 | 1:31.648 | 41 |
| 18 | 11 | Sergio Pérez | Cadillac | 1:32.047 | +2.737 | 1:32.047 | 25 |
| 19 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:32.593 | +3.283 | 1:32.593 | 29 |
| 20 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1:32.762 | +3.452 | 1:32.762 | 33 |
| 21 | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 1:32.862 | +3.552 | 1:32.862 | 41 |
| 22 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:32.959 | +3.649 | 1:32.959 | 28 |